Video

Oct 16, 2016 | 01:40

Kerry, Johnson call for Aleppo 'slaughter' to end

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry call on Syria and Russia to end the humanitarian crisis in Syria's Aleppo, and say both the U.S. and Britain and considering additional sanctions over the Syrian war. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

TRANSCRIPT +

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson gave a joint statement on the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo, Syria after holding roundtable discussions with 'like-minded' nations in London.
"The situation in Aleppo is getting worse and worse," Johnson said. "The real answer lies with those who are perpetrating it, and that is overwhelmingly the Assad regime, and it's puppeteers in the form of the Russians and indeed the Iranians," he added.
Syria talks convened by Kerry in the Swiss city of Lausanne on Saturday failed to agree on a common strategy with Russia to end the conflict in Syria, now in its sixth year.
"All of us are more than concerned, deeply deeply disturbed, outraged by, what is happening in Aleppo," Kerry said in London. "It could stop tomorrow morning, tonight, if Russia and the Assad regime were to behave according to any norm, or any standard of decency," he added.
Western powers have accused Russia and Syria of committing atrocities by bombing hospitals, killing civilians and preventing medical evacuations, as well as targeting an aid convoy with the loss of around 20 lives.
Syria and Russia counter that they are only targeting militants in Aleppo and accuse the United States of breaking the ceasefire by bombing scores of Syrian troops fighting Islamic State insurgents, over which the United States has expressed regret.
Britain and the United States said they were considering additional sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his supporters, and called on Russia to help end the Syrian conflict.
Kerry confirmed that the United States and its allies were considering additional sanctions over Syria, but did not name Russia as a target.

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